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eT “pac sarap acernmaa irene At SEL TEE RATT PE TOTS We arent reece tte atte es a: hanes Reet e TIee ORRM STE E P ope etree tes ee oe Se eg OE a a a a ce tlm sim ce ee He is now undergoing therapy exercises on a regular basis and comes each dey from the forgotten ward to the rehabilitation center for his treatment. Most of the amputetions have been done not by doctors but by “surgical technicians" who are totally unfanilier with proper amputation techniques for subsequent fitting of prosthetic devices. The result is the bones are often.cut leaving sharp points end the flep of the skin is sewn together at the end of the bone rather than being pulied over the stump and sewn at the back of the limb. This makes fitting of prosthetic devices more difficult and painful for the patient and in some cases additional surgery is sought by our prosthetic director and the nurses. -However, in an overloaded hospitel it is difficult to find free time on the part of the surgeons for this type of repair surgery. oS” ’ The case histories which the Quakers are now compiling indicate that the overwhelming majority of these civilian victims were injured by mortar end canon fire and by small arms fire, often from unknown sources. Many of the victims were in what were regarded as friendly and secure villages but who received wounds from Harassment and Interdiction Fire which is mortar fire initiated by the Americans to "keep the VC on the move and awake". during the night. Some victims were caught in mortar engagements between Vietnamese and American military groups but any accurate tabulation of the cause of the casualties is extremely difficult. One can only say that these are the victims of wear end that it is a profoundly moving Quaker service of human compassion that carries a great message of love and reconciliation ain the midst of the horror. The Dey Care Center for children who have lost at least one parent in the war has settled down into a program typical for that of a nursery school. The children ere given rudimentary reading and writing skills as well as number recogn 1ition and participszte in collective exercise and gamss as well as receivirg two snacks during the dav and a hot meal at noon. The over-crowded schools of Qua Ngai will not accept students into the first grade who cannot at least read and write. The result is that the children from the Quaker Day Care Center are being admitted into the publi¢ school system. Advanced classes for older refugee girls continue in sewing and diet and an active Social work training program is proceeding under the direction of two Quaker social workers not only in conjunctio with the families associated with the Day Care Center but also with the prosthetic and physical therapy center. Three Vietnamese are now engaged in social work training, a much needed skill in Vietnan. . In the VISA program the ten young people currently in South Vietnam continue to function in a variety of service assignments in which they mainly work under Vietnamese direction and within Vietnamese organizations. The VISA program has at its heart an attempt to relate to the real‘concerns and cares of the Vietnamese and carries with it, I feel, an “important contribution in “indicating that there are Americans who do not share the methods or objectives of the present American military effort. Rather, it shows there are Americans who are prepared to. express support and concern to the Vietnamese that they be given the freedom to find their own way. VISA personnel are now engaged in teaching automobile mechanics to young boys. One VV works in a Catholic hostel operated for boys between the ages of 12 and 27 who are "shoeshine boys", meaning that they have come adrift and are without family and who scrounge a living by. whatever means they can. “<> 30